International Students Shine at ZJU’s Neon Run

In this blog, I will document a Neon Run activity that brought together Chinese and foreign students. Additionally, I would like to share my feelings and thoughts from my initial interviews with foreign friends.

The Neon Run: ‘The Enthusiasm of Everyone Connected Us All!’

The Neon Run at ZJU took place on May 26th with 345 participants, including thirteen international students, as reported by ZHU Yihao, the chief planner of the event. The activity was hosted by the Communist Youth League Committee and organized by the Youth Volunteer Guidance Center to celebrate the upcoming Asian Games. All participants had to follow a three-kilometer route, while those in the team recreation group were required to complete three mini-games at checkpoints.

A team of four international students from Mongolia, Indonesia, and Colombia, whose primary language is English, showed their enthusiasm for achieving mutual understanding with Chinese staff. They checked the rules in English, sporadic Chinese, and used some gestures.

Muugi, a member of the team, really cherished the experiences and said, “Although we didn’t win the ‘Champion’ prizes in the competition, we thoroughly enjoyed the event.”

Dea Jovita, a postgraduate of International College, stated that she was personally not afraid of the language barrier at all. “I know the Chinese students here are so kind and helpful, and I also want to improve my Chinese.” She also expressed her thanks and apologies to the staff in the activity group chat.

The experience reminded me of my broken English, said WANG Xinyi, a staff member majoring in English. Despite that, the enthusiasm of everyone connected us all!

My Thoughts: Creating More Connections Through Interviews 

To my delight, I seized the opportunity to make friends with foreign students at ZJU. Muugi and Dea Jovita, both possessing amazing personalities, enthusiastically accepted my interview and promptly provided detailed answers to my questions.

Since it was my first time interviewing in English, I was excited and nervous. I repeatedly explained that they could feel free to point out any inaccuracies in my expression. Muugi replied, “I don’t think there are any mistakes. You can be more confident!” (soooooo sweet!!) Thanks to their helpful and tolerant attitude, I was able to understand their experience in the activity and learned that, just as I wanted to make more friends with international students, they were also eager to be friends with Chinese students.

As the epidemic is under control, more international students can return to ZJU, and more activities can be carried out successfully. The enthusiasm of everyone could connect us all!